A total of 25,000 premises are expected to be affected by the move, which was a part of the $9 billion agreement between Telstra and NBN Co.

The 18-month timeframe also includes exceptions for business-grade copper services like ISDN and frame-relay, which will be disconnected after three years instead, according to NBN Co’s head of product management and industry relations, Jim Hassell. more> http://tinyurl.com/8v2lpdh

By Malcolm Turnbull – [Australia] The issue for customers is not the particular medium of communication connecting their device to the internet but rather the quality of the experience. If bandwidth is sufficient for their needs, then whether it is on HFC or VDSL or GPON or wireless or a combination of some or all of them is not particularly relevant if it is relevant at all.

It has to be remembered that the speed of connection is determined by the slowest segment of the network between the customer’s device and the server with which they are connecting which in many cases may not even be in Australia.

The NBN Co has no budget. It has a project the scope of which was given them by the government and they regularly provide estimates of what it will cost. There is no budget in the sense of a cap or ceiling on what they can spend. more> http://tinyurl.com/d3wsksd

By Ry Crozier – [Australia] NBN Co has been cleared in its use of “commercial” grounds to deny Freedom of Information requests, with a review finding no grounds to change or revoke the exemption.

Between 11 June 2011 and 31 May 2012, NBN Co received 35 requests for documents, of which 17 were withdrawn. Two applicants were granted full releases of documents.

“There is no basis to conclude that the broad nature of “commercial activities” exemption has been abused; or that it has had the effect of unreasonably broadening the field of exempt documents,” auditor Stuart Morris QC said. more> http://tinyurl.com/9vu3evj

By John McDuling and Tony Boyd – [Australia] Telstra chief executive David Thodey is planning to spend $100 million to accelerate construction of a key aspect of the national broadband network and unlock a $2 billion windfall for shareholders.

Telstra is planning to do everything it can to bring forward as much NBN revenue as possible given the risk of a change in government next year.

The bulk of the $500 million in capital spending will go towards mobile upgrades, amid an explosion in demand for Telstra’s services, driven by rising uptake of smartphones and tablet devices. more> http://tinyurl.com/94rhlqy

English: Diagram of the National Broadband Network, based on the network design details given in the NBN Co’s Corporate Plan 2011–2013(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Geoff Long – [Australia] NBN Co will move back to a model where it connects fiber to every house or apartment at the same time as it rolls fiber down the street – the so-called “build drop” method of customer connections. However, unlike in the past, it will not seek permission from every household before bringing fiber to the building – customers will have to specifically opt-out if they don’t want the fiber.

“One of the things that we have had to take into account of the additional costs of executing all this is a much greater level of communication with the general public,” NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley said, adding that the company anticipated that most households would see that the connection is not costing them anything and would be welcomed. more> http://tinyurl.com/cqzjyv6